


Glow

by Taimae



Series: The Coffee Prince [2]
Category: Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Tsundere, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2019-05-04 20:13:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14600835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taimae/pseuds/Taimae
Summary: Saeki and Mizuki spend some unexpected time at a summer festival.





	Glow

**Author's Note:**

> This was a one word prompt sent to me by the lovely Lizlow! It was supposed to just be a drabble, but ended up being way longer than I expected. 
> 
> As usual, apologies for any types or weird pacing!

“Are you sure you haven’t seen him?”

A group of girls huddled around Mizuki with pleading faces as she sat on a bench, candied apple in hand. It was a little intimidating in all honesty. These weren’t just any girls. They were members of the Saeki Teru fanclub, an idea that Mizuki still tried to wrap her head around. How a boy, especially him,, had a fan club was beyond her.

Eventually, she then gave the group an apologetic smile and bowed her head slightly.

“Sorry, I really haven’t seen him around. But I’ll let Saeki-kun know that you’re looking for him if I do come across him,”

The girls pouted but didn’t press further. “Okay…Let’s go, then. He’s gotta be around here somewhere,”

Mizuki let out a long sigh leaned back against the bench as the girls started to walk away. Once they were far enough away, she looked over her shoulder, her hazel eyes focused on a dark, leafy shrub.

“They’re gone,”

The shrub stared to shake until finally, a young man with white hair and bronzed skin emerged with a relieved, yet irritated expression on his face. He hoped over the top of the bench and sat beside the girl. He ran his fingers through his hair, pulling out any leaves that found themselves inbetween the strands.

“How long are you going to keep hiding from?” Mizuki asked, placing her chin on the palm of her hand. Most boys would be thrilled to have a group of girls fawning over them. Saeki didn’t _hate_ it per say, but he certainly didn’t seem excited about it either.

“Just until the fireworks,” he responded with a shrug. “I just needed a breather,”

“Why don’t you just tell them that you need some time to yourself? Just be upfront about it,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone, pulling her candied apple to her lips. Before she could eat it however, she felt a hand on hers, as Saeki pulled the treat towards him instead, taking a bite.

“You’ve seen how they are. They refuse to take no for an answer,” the white-hair teen responded as he ignored hazel eyes glaring at him.

He’d gotten far too comfortable around Mizuki, in her opinion. Why all the other girls at school got to see the sweet, charming prince of Hanegasaki High School, she got to deal with a sarcastic, rude jerk. A little too often now that she had started working at Sangosho. He really was a handful at times. Sometimes, she regretted meeting him on the first day of school.

She then noticed Saeki’s brown eyes then focus away from the sweet treat and onto Mizuki, his head tilting slightly with a curious expression on his face.

“What?” she asked, her brows furrowing a bit. Did she have something on her face?

“Your yukata…”

“Gah, I knew I should’ve chosen a different one. I thought the pattern was cute, but now I’m think it’s a little childish,” It caught her eye in the arcade as soon as she saw it; aqua blue fabric patterned with seashells and pearls. She thought it would be apropos, considering that they were a seaside city, but maybe it came off as tacky instead.

“I was going to say it suits you. I like it,”

“Oh,” she suddenly felt heat spread across her cheeks as she finally took a bite of her candied apple. Okay, perhaps he wasn’t _always_ rude with her. This may have been the first time he’d ever giver her a compliment though.

Maybe he also knew how that sounded, for he quickly turned away and cleared his throat and changed the subject. “So, uh, did you buy yourself a lantern yet?”

“Ah, yeah,” she laughed, looking at little embarrassed as she turned and pulled a small lantern made of wood and paper from the other side of her. “I haven’t made one of these since I was a kid. I was excited to make one at first, but now it feels kind of weird setting one afloat by myself,”

She had made friends since moving here, but this particular event, they all decided to ask boys out and make it into a sort of romantic evening. Sure, she could join them, but she wasn’t particularly into being a third for fifth wheel. And normally, she didn’t mind being alone, but seeing all those couples and families by the beach, it felt kind of weird just to go by herself.

Saeki quirked a brow, finally looking back at her. “So, you came all this way on your own, bought and decorated this thing, and now you’re not going to do _anything_ with it?”

“I really don’t need to hear commentary for a guy who is literally hiding from a group of girls because he can’t be bothered to say no,” she shot back, sticking her tongue out playfully. There were times she had decent comebacks.

The young man shook his head, letting out a slight laugh. “Fine, I guess you’re right. Come on then,”

“Hmm?”

“Your lantern,” he continued, motioning towards it. “You wanted to set it out to sea, right?”

Mizuki twisted her mouth, looking at him suspiciously which only made him roll his eyes. “I’m not going to do anything to it. Or you for that matter. I still have a bit of time before I have to head back,”

She finally nodded and stood up, finishing the rest of her apple and then grabbing the lantern. As she walked beside Saeki, they made some small talk, mostly about the café and school. If she was being honest, it wasn’t nearly as bad as she thought it would be. At times, Saeki could be pleasant without putting on a whole act. Mizuki considered telling him that, but she knew that it would be taken the wrong and he’s probably give her a firm chop on the head.

It wasn’t before long that they found themselves on the sandy beach. It was a calm night, with just a slight breeze that managed to slightly cool the hot summer air. There were a few other people around as well sending off their own lanterns. Saeki then reached into his pocket and pulled off a small packet of matches with Sangosho’s logo on them.

“Lift it up a bit?” he asked her as he pulled out one of the matches. Carefully, he leaned over and then touched the flame to the wick of the candle inside the lantern. Mizuki couldn’t help but notice but notice his expression; brows furrowed in concentration, making sure he wouldn’t burn the paper or his fingers. He always seemed like a different person when he was focused.  

Once he lit the candle, an orange glow brightened the small paper lantern. Mizuki then knelt down and lightly placed it down on the water. It wasn’t long before the gentle waves guided it out towards the sea, floating off towards the other lanterns. They almost looked like fairies, or friendly spirits, finding their way back to the moon and stars on the horizon.

Mizuki sat and cupped her cheeks in the palm of her hands, taking in the mystical sight. It was surprisingly peaceful, with all the hustle and bustle quieted by the sound of the waves softly crashing against the sandy beach. Now she felt a little silly thinking that she couldn’t enjoy this on her own. Though, she had to admit…

Maybe some company was nice.  

“Thank you,” she finally said.

“Meh,” Saeki replied as lay down beside her. “It’s not like I was doing anything else,”

“So charitable,”

“Fine…” he mumbled, closing his eyes. “You’re also not _terrible_ to hang out with from time to time,”

Mizuki couldn’t help but shake her head, cracking a half smile. A packed festival, and he was ready to take a nap. Quietly, she reached over and lightly tugged on his cheek. Instead of pinching her back, or throwing sand at her, he slowly placed his hand on hers, and pulled it over his lips. They were soft and warm… the sensation made her chest tighten, but she didn’t pull away. Despite being at each other’s throats half the time, this wasn’t the first time that they’d been like this. So many things to say, yet they would never say a word. Breaking the silence would perhaps mean saying something that neither of them were sure about.

 A sudden flash of bright colours followed by a large crack across the sky and snapped Mizuki out of her thoughts. She quickly pulled her hand away. Right, the fireworks…

“You should get back to the girls,” she said, pulling her hand back and tucking one of her brown strands behind her ear. “They’ll be sad if they miss seeing the fireworks with you,”

 “Right,” Saeki responded. “Yeah. Of course,”

He quickly stood up and brushed the sand off his pants. He paused for a moment, their eyes catching each one more time before he finally darted off further down the beach. Mizuki let out a brief sigh and then looked back at the lanterns, their lights becoming dimmer and dimmer the further they floated out.

Why did she feel as though she just missed her chance?


End file.
